One Final Step
by yuffiehighwind
Summary: Zeus and Hera may be dead, but soon things will go back to normal. Right?


**Summary:** Zeus and Hera may be dead, but soon things will go back to normal. Right?

Continuation of the scene in my 2003 fanfic "Tired of Waking Up On the Ground." Which is...not posted on this website, but whatever.

**Notes: **Takes place between S5E12 of XWP, "God Fearing Child," and S5E14, "Amphipolis Under Siege."

Like in the original Greek myth, Aphrodite and Ares are the parents of Deimos and Phobos, even though Deimos and Ares are explicitly cousins in TV canon.

* * *

**One Final Step**

Discord stops crying _(since when did war gods cry?)_ and once she's regained her composure, Deimos enthusiastically cackles.

"Jerk!"

She elbows her nephew in the stomach, and he stops giggling, though a slight smirk remains. Despite his amusement, he's still sitting with his arm awkwardly wrapped around her in some attempt at comfort. Discord lifts her head. She's been leaning on his shoulder while she cries about her father's death like a fucking human.

_This is blackmail material for sure_, she thinks. Discord's always been confident around him and kept her cool. She's usually been the one who laughs at his misfortune and distress. She's even caused it a few times. Torturing the young god was fun.

She isn't sure why he showed up to comfort her in the first place. It worries her. _Is this a trick?_

Pulling from his grasp, Discord stands up. She clears her throat, brushes her hair out of her eyes and takes a deep breath, though gods don't need to breathe.

"Thanks," she mutters. "I guess."

It physically pains her to be so grateful, but if she plays nice, maybe he won't tell anyone.

Deimos shrugs a "You're welcome." Then his smile starts to fade, tongue sticking out just slightly while he squints down at the city below. It looks like he's thinking, about to ask a question.

Quietly, quieter than he's ever been, Deimos asks, "Does…does anybody know what happened to Hera?"

The breath Discord doesn't need hitches in her throat.

After a long pause, too long, she replies, "Nobody knows." Clearing her throat and putting on a commanding voice, bitter and angry instead of mournful, "But we know Hercules killed Zeus with a piece of Kronos' rib."

Her nephew's eyes widen, mouth gaping, smile returning. What could possibly be pleasing about this news? But she has some idea.

"Kronos?" he asks in wonderment.

Discord rolls her eyes.

"Cool it, fanboy."

Deimos scoffs. "You'd get it if you'd held his stone in your hands."

"I almost did, you idiot. Twenty years ago."

If he'd known so much about Strife that he'd want to emulate him, Deimos would know this embarrassing story too. She and his cousin danced their asses off trying to get just a shard of it. But none of that matters now. It hasn't mattered in a long time. Discord makes a frustrated noise, exasperated.

Matter-of-factly, she says, "Dad is dead. Hercules killed him. End of story. I don't even know where he got the rib and I…"

Discord scowls at Deimos, crossing her arms.

"I don't want any more gods to die anytime soon." She shuts her eyes, disgusted by this feeling. "Ugh, I can't believe I just said that."

Deimos stands up, and before she can end the conversation, he roughly grasps her shoulders and spins her around to face the horizon. Deimos is taller than her, though not any taller than Strife. Tall enough to maneuver her petite frame so it is standing on the edge of the column, the toe of her boot just over the drop. She thinks Deimos won't push her, that he'd never drop her, out of fear of the repercussions, or genuine feelings of friendship. Maybe both.

"We're alive," he hoarsely whispers in her ear. His tone is difficult to read. He sounds as frustrated as she feels, sharply critical, trying to somehow sound inspiring. "We're invincible," he says, his hot breath on her neck sending a shiver down her spine. "Stop crying and go be a god."

Deimos pushes her, and Discord teleports in a cloud of violet smoke just before hitting the ground, reappearing on the column behind him. Furious, she uses the momentum of her fall to knock him over the edge. Deimos screams, high-pitched and ear-piercing, and Discord laughs smugly as she watches him smack into the hard dirt below.

"You alright?" she yells down, feigning concern. She hears a deep groan. Discord smiles wider.

"Thanks," she says, and she means it, the sight of his fractured limbs genuinely making her laugh. "This really helped. I feel a lot better now."

She hears an angry, unintelligible response shouted through broken teeth. Discord suspects it will take a while for his bones to knit back together. She's seen her son Strife leap back up immediately from far worse injuries, other than the one that finally killed him, but Deimos is an imperfect copy. Centuries younger, who doesn't know how to heal himself.

She could blame his heritage, but his mother is a champion, fists up and tits out. Discord's even fought her like a human, physically brawling and playing dirty. Aphrodite is much older than her, but Discord more adept at combat. They're an equal match. It pisses Discord off sometimes. A lot of the time. Except when she's drunk, but that's a whole other story.

There's no time to be petty. Zeus is dead, Hera is missing, and Discord's pretty sure Hera is dead too. It feels like a void has been left by their demise, a hole the remaining gods will squabble over trying to fill, while they should be out murdering Xena. Discord knows it should be fun watching them argue. But it isn't. Not yet.

Discord could go down and check on him, or she could get out of there before the young god starts a fight he can't win. Besides, it worked. She's truly grateful he showed up to snap her out of her depression. All she needed was one final step.

* * *

**Endnote: **References Ep 42 of Young Hercules, "The Prize," and S6 Ep 2 of HTLJ, "Love Amazon Style."


End file.
